Chicago

Thursday, 17 November 2011

I had the television in my room on, but my mind was elsewhere. Even after my meal at Kurumaya I was still thinking about food! Specifically, an Italian Beef Sandwich....especially since Johnnie's Beef was a couple blocks away. Finally after about an hour of rumination (and digestion), I jumped in the rental car and headed for Johnnie's. They were pretty busy as usual, but things move quickly, and really all I needed to say were three magical words when it my turn at bat; "beef......juicy....hot". Translated, Italian Beef Sandwich, " juicy" means it's left in the broth a bit longer than "dunked", and "hot" stands for the hot peppers (giardinera). It's just about the only time you'll get away without being slapped for uttering those three words at a restaurant counter.

The sandwich was just as good as my previous one was. It's not huge, so I didn't feel too bad about having it as a snack.

This was actually the first place I had an Italian Beef many moons ago. The Missus had made a request, so I checked out early and made it down to the area on the Northwest side of Chicago known as Dunning. I knew that Dunning was a traditionally Italian neighborhood, but after reading this I found out it that the area has a very strong Polish influence as well.

I wondered how my tastes had changed since I last ate an Italian Beef from this unassuming shop. I had arrived a bit before the posted 1030 am opening time, so I sat in the car checking text messages and such. I was concentrating a bit too hard as a little old lady knocked on my window scaring the daylights out of me! She lifted a sack up and told me "they're open already....you're late!" Which really cracked me up.....

Things looked exactly the same as I remembered......and the same really friendly guy was working the counter as well. I ordered my beef, juicy, hot, and we chatted about where I was from, the weather, the heavy flooding a couple of nights ago while I waited for my sandwich.

When my sandwich arrived I looked at it in stunned silence. I didn't recall it being as large and I don't remember being given a fork along with my napkins either. As you can tell....it was indeed quite juicy.

Man this thing was humongous. It basically sprung open as I unwrapped it.....

The beef was very tender but was not quite as herbaceous as what I had the evening before at Johnnie's Beef. I was just amazed that the roll made it to the last bite....can you imagine if I ordered it "soaked"? The giardinera was also much milder than what I recalled.

What was not up for debate was that this was indeed a two-fisted, juice dripping on your feet sandwich.

I guess I need to make it back to Al's to see how that Italian Beef holds up.....

Mr Beef3917 N Harlem AveChicago, IL 60634

Superdawg:

The Missus' request? She wanted me to bring home a hot dog. Yep, all the way from Chicago on the six hour flight to San Diego...a hot dog.....I tried to convince Her that it would be a cold, soggy mess, and a total waste of time, but She insisted. Ok, you want a hot dog, you get a hot dog....but not just a hot dog.... but a Superdawg! I had thoughts of just grabbing a Vienna Beef dog in the standard issue Mary Ann poppy seed bun, dragged through the garden, but since was here, why not check out this iconic shop. I'd had a Superdawg before, it was a terribly limp dog, served up in a soggy bun with cold greasy fries. At least I pretty much knew what the Missus was going to be getting! Of course, that one was from Midway Airport...... This one was going to be from the location on North Milwaukee.

What was pretty amazing was that I plowed through my Italian Beef sandwich and drove up from Mr Beef, making it to Superdawg before 11am! And there were people in line waiting for the place to open!

The menu is pretty compact, so I don't understand how the folks in front of me had such a hard time ordering, after all, they had a good long time to check out the menu while waiting. And furthermore, this place is called Super "dawg", right? So of course they ended up ordering burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and fish.....

If you're used to typical Chicagoland hot dog prices, you may go into sticker shock here as the Superdawg costs $5.25. Of course it comes with crinkle cut fries. Gene and Jude's this ain't.

The entire set-up of the place is very neat, part 1950's car hop drive in, part roadside attraction. There's a glass enclosed dining area next to the ordering window. With folks peering in at what I was eating, it felt like I was on display....

And what I was eating....was a superdawg of course. Yes, even after devouring that beef sandwich. You gotta love the packaging.....

The dog was tucked in nicely with fries lying to one side.

The hot dog is a bit different from the usual all-beef Chicago wiener. It is made by Vienna Beef using a proprietary formula with a different spice blend. There seemed to be a bit more more garlicky-ness and the dog was larger in circumference than the standard issue stuff. It did have a bit less snap than what I'm used to, and frankly I still enjoy the generic Veinna Beef dog more. What I did really like was pickled green tomato, the firm and crunchy sport peppers, and the very tasty fries. Looking at the fries I suddenly realized that the heat from the fries would end up making the entire thing into a soggy mess. But what the heck, She wanted a hot dog right?

There was quite a line as I made my way to the car...check out the dude with the camcorder.....

So, I sealed the Superdawg in a ziploc bag and stowed it in my carry-on. The Missus picked me up at the airport and when we got home She got Her hot dog....She did love the pickled green tomato and even enjoyed the hot dog, sogged out bun and all. Of course She went and put ketchup on the thing....yikes.....

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Not being familiar with the area on my last trip to Chicago, I was surprised at finding a Mitsuwa Marketplace almost across the street from my hotel. On that trip, I managed to ask a couple of people for a Japanese restaurant recommendation. Kurumaya, in nearby Elk Grove was the unanimous choice. Thus I made Kurumaya my choice for dinner during my overnight stay in Arlington Heights.

The restaurant is located in a rather unassuming location fairly close to O'Hare.

The interior is also pretty humble looking....in fact the checkerboard tablecloth made the place look like a family Italian restaurant!

There was a sushi bar area upfront and the dining area was pretty large. All the customers when I arrived seemed to be Japanese nationals. And the arrival of the oshibori signaled a good start.

The Servers were all very nice; almost motherly, and the menu was quite extensive. With what seemed to be a little bit of everything from sushi and sashimi to robata type dishes.

What I found really charming were the little black book on top of each table......

Each book was filled with illustrations of the dishes on the menu, combined with ingredients and some little slogan like "good taste!"

An item on the menu grabbed my attention, the Hirame Carpaccio.....it seems that these type of Pan-Asian-European dishes are appearing on menu everywhere. In fact, I make a pseudo version myself at home. I'd recently had the salmon belly carpaccio at Okan, which I thought was really a miss, so I thought I'd check this out. It turned out that I should've passed on this as well.

At almost fourteen bucks, this was a disappointing dish. First off, the presentation left much to be desired as it looked like something you'd find washed up on the shore after a storm. Secondly, there were four slices of hirame cut so thin you could almost see through it. From the wakame to the very salty ikura to the couple of pieces of iceberg lettuce and the ponzu dressing this was very underwhelming.....

I'd also ordered the maguro yamakake, which I later ofund out cost me nine bucks and looked like this....

The maguro had the mushy texture of "saku" (cut and refrozen) fish.

Thinking that I needed a change of plans, I went with the no-fail option, Chicken Karaage....which turned out to be another disappointment.

The portion size was generous, but I was not fond of the batter which was gummy and too thick. I prefer light and crisp. The flavor was very mild and this was all white meat which made the chicken pretty dry.

Usually, at this point I'd be stuffed silly, but for some reason I still had a bit of room. The first three dishes had been pretty disappointing and it was over ninety degrees and humid outside so you could cross off the udon. One of the neighboring tables ordered the gyutan and some other grilled dishes which looked quite pale and I could not make out the scent of binchotan, so no-go there either.

Of course, if my Japanese was worth a damn or if I could read kanji, I might be able to decifer the greaseboard that was presented to nihon customers. Another couple, either sansei or yonsei came in during my meal and didn't get the specials menu either. Though I'm guessing that the women here were so nice that they'd go over the menu with me if I'd ask, but I didn't want to bother them.

There was one thing I could look at....the handy-dandy little black book:

And so I ordered the Butakakuni, which turned out to be the best item of the evening.

Not the most photogenic butakakuni and it certainly didn't melt in my mouth, but the flavor composition was quite good; savory soy sauce with a touch of sweetness. So at least my meal ended on a high note.

As a whole, I really can't recommend Kurumaya and strangely enough, Tajima kept coming to mind while I was having my meal here. I thought the women working here to be nice enough and the menu is vast.....that black book is charming, but I don't think I'll be returning, unless someone can give me a compelling reason to.

Monday, 19 September 2011

On my way back from Madison, I decided to drive back to the Chicago area and stay in the Arlington Heights area again. Arriving at about lunchtime, I decided to drop by a place that was recommended to me by the same person who mentioned Johnnie's Beef and Peep's, a place that supposedly made their own Mandu by hand called Ttowa. I did a quick check before I left and noticed that the restaurant had moved to sort of the downtown/old town area of Arlington Heights, which looked nothing like the strip mall dominated area where my hotel was located, along with Mitsuwa and other shops.

Under a large multi-level building stood the little shop.......

It just seemed a bit out of place looking, but as I entered I could see the kim bap (aka sushi bar) in the back of the restaurant, which was spartan but very clean looking.

A very nice and friendly young man greeted me upon entering the restaurant and guided me to a seat. Unfortunately, I decided upon visiting during lunch and the menu was limited to starters, various Bi Bim Bap, and what they called their "Boonshik" (which if I recall means something like comfort food - homey restaurant or something like that) combo. I didn't find out until later that if I'd have wanted the Ssam Gyup Sal (pork belly) or Bo Ssam that they'd have made it for me.

I went with a combo which featured Dduk Bokki (I choose kimchi dduk bokki), Kim Bap, and the traditional mandoo ($9).

While waiting for my food, the young man, by the name of Terry came by and chatted. Terry had returned to Arlington Heights from New York, where he was working as a restaurant manager to help his parents who decided to move their restaurant to this space. Because of the varied clientele, he described the food as "Korean with a twist", which automatically sent alarms ringing thru my cabeza. I've always approached places that do "fusion" with caution....there's much more "con-fusion" than good fusion out there. After all, it's one thing to approach a cuisine with respect and understanding, another to throw almost disparate flavors together in a mish-mash. Though I do really enjoy when it works and after all, I'm from Hawaii...home of chili-spaghetti-hot dogs with rice and mac salad.

The panchan got me kinda worried......

Other than the baechu kimchi (napa cbaage) everything was on the very mild side. But I changed my mind when the bone soup arrived, which, when some salt was added, coated my belly and just made me feel all warm and comfortable.

Soon after the rest of the meal arrived.

The Kim Bap was, well, Kim Bap....I'm not much of a fan as I usually see it as second rate maki-sushi. At least this wasn't stuffed silly with rice and nori was crisp instead of rubbery. The mandoo was quite good, the filling was nice and had good flavor and the wrappers were nice with a good pull, but not brittle and overly sticky.

What was the real winna' was the dduk bokki.

Man this was good....the only way I can describe this is by how rich it was....it was almost like a dduk bokki bolognese, but had no meat in sight. The rice cakes had a perfect chew to them and while it wasn't very spicy, it had enough to let me know...... When I mentioned how nicely rich this was, Terry told me what made this so good, but made me promise not to tell, so I won't. Let me just say....this ain't vegetarian, ok?

As I was eating my meal, Terry approached my table and dropped this off saying, "I know you enjoy food, so this is for you on the house."

He seemed truly surprised when I said, "ah, it's a Wang Mandu." I told him this was the reason I came to Ttowa, but I didn't see this on the menu. This was very nice, the steamed bun fluffy, the filling substantial. And it is on the menu; I just didn't see it....old age you know.

As my meal was ending, Terry came by with a cup of tea, telling me: "thanks for visiting all the way from San Diego."

You know, Terry doesn't know I have a food blog. Nor did he see me take any photos (there's a reason my photos aren't very spectacular I guess), those were done while he was tending to other customers (I counted 70% Asian/30% not). He just thinks I'm someone from San Diego who enjoys eating. I believe he is a wonderful ambassador for his family's restaurant and makes me want to return. Not everything was a home run, but his attention and manner makes up for all the minor details.

Sunday, 31 July 2011

On my last visit to Chicago, I had an inkling of going to another sausage joint after Hot Dougs. But I was so stuffed (and in major need of a shower) after eating my Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage and Duck Fat fries, that there was just no room left.....

Things didn't start out real well for me.....there's a door on the street side, and a note saying to go through the alleyway for an entrance. But there I stood like a dummy trying to figure out how I'm supposed to get in, until I regained my English comprehension skills (at least temporarily) and finally read the sign. I had a game plan with "target sausages" that I wanted to try, but for some reason that all went out the window when I walked up to the counter and read the part of the menu that said "Iron Dawg Competition". Over a period two well known chefs create a "dawg", competing on the basis of sales. If I recall correctly, whomever has the most sales survives and goes on to the next round against another challenger. So I went with one of each.....not cheap since each sausage costs almost ten bucks! This little shop does some major business, and was pretty full, but nothing like the masses at Hot Dougs.

There was one part of my visit that really cracked me up. The really friendly guy behind the counter told me to "pick your photo from the Wall of Shame"....... there are photos with a wooden backing and a strip of velcro on the back. You attach these to your table instead of numbers so the young lady in the dining area can bring you your order. It seemed like all the good ones (like Nick Nolte's mug shot) were taken. The young man, seeing that I was having a problem choosing, told me, "too bad these aren't ready yet, these would be easy choices", and held up photos of Casey Anthony and one we can call "the Weiner". In the end, I chose this famous mugshot:

The first sausage to arrive for this little piggy was This Little Piggy ($9.50):

This looked a bit overwrought with butter pickled red onions, though the remoulade added a nice bit of rich "tang" to the whole thing. The salt and vinegar chip crusted oysters tasted somewhat fishy and seemed out of place on the sausage. I loved the lobster style rolls, they just seemed perfect......richly toasted on all sides and able to stand up to these fairly rich sausages. The sausage, a garlic pork sausage seemed pretty mundane sans all the garnishes and sauce, I loved the casing which had nice snap, but the sausage itself was pretty tough.

I preferred the "Boar'n to be Wild" ($9.95):

This was a wild boar sausage topped with fried onions (it's called tempura onions, but they looked plain fried to me), pieces of fried sweet potatoes and yellow peppers. I could make out the flavor of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and Thai basil. This sausage was more tender and reminded me of a milder Thai or Lao sausage. It wasn't bad, but not great.

I was quite full after this meal, there's a good amount of richness in these sausages. I did regret getting side tracked and not ordering what I had planned. So I'll have to make sure to revisit in the future.... after all I just gotta get those Triple Truffle Fries, right?

Thursday, 24 February 2011

In some strange way, I felt somewhat restored after my Italian Beef from Johnnie's so I went for a drive around the Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect area. Right up the street from Johnnie's, also on Arlington Heights Road was this rather bright looking shop called......

Scooby's Red Hots:

Hey, it's Chicago.... in San Diego, you got taco shops,,,, in Chicagoland, it's Hot Dogs and Italian Beef! The interior was a colorful melange of retro looking posters, signs, and the like......

Well, this place says "red hots"..... and the Vienna Beef sign hangs proudly in the window, so what else am I going to get?

This dog had a good "snap" to it, and the bun was better than what I had at Peep's...... I lamented the lack of celery salt on this one. Still, it was a pretty good dog, and for under two bucks..... not a bad deal.

I called it a night after that dog, awoke the next morning, checked ot of my hotel, jumped into the rental car, and drove around a bit more. I actually had "breakfast" at Five Guys in Mount Prospect. As I drove down Elmhurst Road, I noticed a somewhat familiar name.

Mr Beef and Pizza:

Before my Beef from Johnnie's, the best Italian Beef I'd had was from Mr Beef on North Orleans. Well.... this place said Mr Beef... so could it be?

Looking at the dining room.....kinda beat, this looked more like a kid arcade than a serious Italian Beef shop.

In fact, it seemed that more folks were getting pizza than anything else..... I should have taken that as a warning and left, but I went ahead and ordered the Beef Sandwich with Hot Peppers.

This tasted like mass produced deli roast beef that had been soaking in canned jus...... it just wasn't very good.

It just wasn't a very good sandwich...... and I'm sure it has nothing to do with the other "Mr Beef" I ate at before....

﻿﻿﻿Mr Beef & Pizza1796 S Elmhurst RdMount Prospect, IL 60056

After this, I jumped back in my car and headed off to the airport....... except I decided to take the "long way". I had one more stop in mind. Further down Arlington Heights Road lay an outpost of a Italian Beef chain I was told that I needed to try....

Buona Beef:

This location is in the "village" of Itasca, and looked spanking new.

Started in 1981, there are now over a dozen Buno Beef restaurants in the greater Chicago area.

The look of the place was in total contrast to the Mom and Pop Italian Beef shops..... I remember emailing Cathy and telling her this place looked more like Panera Bread, Chipotle, or some other "fast casual" restaurant.

Of course that didn't stop me from getting a Italian Beef with Hot Peppers......

The overall sandwich was too dry for my tastes..... perhaps there's a step or request I missed? The Beef had a nice flavor, though some of it was fairly rare....which seems to take this closer to roast beef. The hot peppers had a little zip, but due to the amount of olives was more briny than spicy. There was a bit too much bread (thought it was pretty good) for this type of sandwich. In the end; it just wasn't "wet" enough for my taste. This was more like a roast beef sandwich in disguise.

And yet, if there was a Buona Beef in San Diego, I'd be eating there once in a while.

Buona Beef Restaurant1170 N Arlington Heights RoadItasca, IL 60143

As I waited in the boarding area at O'Hare, I mentally took stock of what I had eaten in the last day: A Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage and Duck Fat Fries, two Chicago Dogs, One burger from Five Guys, and three Italian Beef Sandwiches...... that's a pretty good 36 hours in my book!

Monday, 07 February 2011

While driving to work this past week, I recall hearing that by February, 50% of those New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside. So I thought it was time for our Fourth Burger Week. I had my doubts at first because it seems that we've covered a good bit of ground. From iconic burgers served at places like Rocky's, Hodad's, and Nessy, to "pub burgers" at joints like The Waterfront, to newer places like Burger Lounge and The Counter, I wasn't sure I had it in me. But after trading emails with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I realized that there's always another burger somewhere down the street.

A couple of months back, Five Guys Burgers opened up in San Diego...... part of a West Coast expansion of an East Coast favorite. This prompted a whole slew of Five Guys versus In N Out posts and articles. Some of my favorite Food Bloggers like The Catty Critic and Passionate Eater weighed in on the debate.

Thus I put a visit to Five Guys on my "list".......... then my trip to Madison and Chicago came up. An acquaintance of mine who had tried the San Diego location of Five Guys told me that for some reason, in his opinion, the burgers at Five Guys in the Midwest and back East taste better. He told me to check out one of their location in Chicago if I had the chance. And I did indeed have a chance, as I came across a Five Guys in Mount Prospect on my last morning in Chicago.

Even though I arrived right at opening time, there was already a short line. It gave me time to check out the decor, all of the declarations of the greatness of Five Guys plastered on the walls, the large sacks of potatoes, the peanuts for eating while you wait......

The menu, much like In-N-Out's is deceivingly simple; Four burgers, four "little burgers", hot dogs, two sandwiches, and two style of fries. The gimmick here is that you have the choice of up to sixteen free "toppings", everything from Ketchup to A1 Steak Sauce.

Those folks that know, realize that I like a pretty unadorned burger, just the typical veggies and maybe some mustard. Which is how I ordered mine. It all came wrapped in foiled lined paper. It's good that I was eating this here, as a burger would keep on steaming inside this wrapper had I waited too long....

I liked the look of the burger, the sesame bun was nice until it started falling apart. This was a fairly hefty burger, but I thought it over-priced at five bucks($4.99 actually)...... though I guess you could make up that difference if you got everything but the kitchen sink on it.

This didn't turn out to be the burger I had expected. But I decided to check out the Liberty Station location in Point Loma, just to see if there was any difference. I arrived on a Sunday evening, and the place was packed.

Because I wanted to be boring consistent, I ordered the same thing as I did in Chicago. I even managed to score an open table. This is what my burger looked like when unwrapped....

What a mess....... that bottom half of the butt was pretty much a goner, just minutes after making.

At least the burger here had a bit more char to it, and was more moist than the version I had in Chicago. I still think the meat has a kind of mealy texture, and is under-seasoned. The meat here cannot stand alone, The packaging left much to be desired as well.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries2445 Truxton RdSan Diego, CA 92106

So what about the Five Guys versus In-N-Out thing...... being that Five Guys' burger is larger, it's hard to compare. But I will say this about the burger...... For the price of one burger from Five Guys ($4.99)..... I got this at I-N-O:

Smaller, but dressed in a similar manner - two double meats, mustard instead. I enjoyed In-N-Out much more as well.....

There is one thing at Five Guys that I enjoy much more than at In-N-Out...... it's the fries. I've never developed a taste for the fries at In-N-Out.......yeah they're "natural" style fries; but just about every other place I have that type of fries have been head and shoulders above In-N-Out.

Monday, 10 January 2011

Awakening from a Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage coma, I felt compelled to make the most of my time in Chicago and at least try to get something to eat. I really didn't feel like driving back into downtown Chicago, but what could I get in Arlington Heights? I quickly had an answer. Earlier in the day I drove up Arlington Heights Road past a shop that the same fella who mentioned Peep's told me about. Leaving no room for wiggle, I was simply told that "Johnnie's Beef makes the best Italian Beef, no two ways about it!"

So after a quick shower to rejuvenate myself, I jumped in the rental car, and headed North for a couple of blocks to Johnnie's Beef. Walking through the doors a wonderful beefy smell hit me, and I was ready for action.

The service.... well, more like the procedure here was mercifully fast. You order, and in no time you have your Italian Beef ready to go. And because there is a constant flow of customers.... you really don't want to mess up the rhythm by taking too much time.

The sandwich....I got mine "dipped" with hot peppers, rang in at a shade over four bucks. It's not a super-stuffed sandwich, but well proportioned for my taste.

I've had Italian Beef sandwiches at Mr Beef (On N Harlem) and Portillo's, but nothing has come close to this. The beef wasn't cut too thin, but was very tender, yet not mushy, full of beefy goodness. The sandwich was just soaked enough, the crust retained a nice chew, and the bread was wet, but not over-saturated with juices that had retained a good beef flavor, with a belnd of herbs and spcies that were balanced. In addition to some crunch, the spicy giardiniera had the perfect amount of heat and brine to wake up my still sluggish palate. In fact, I guess you could say that this was strangely invigorating.

Good thing Johnnie's is in Chicago. If it was here in San Diego, I'd be in line a couple times a week.

The next morning while checking out, thinking that perhaps there might be something even better out there, I asked the young man at the front desk for a recommendation for an Italian Beef sandwich. He immediately replied, "Johnnie's Beef." Digging a little deeper, I mentioned that I had Johnnie's the night before, and if he'd have any other recommendations. Suddenly, a loud, disembodied voice boomed out of an open doorway, "if you tell him anything other than Johnnie's you better get your friggin' a$$ outta here cause you're fired!"

Thursday, 23 December 2010

Just something short for tonight.... I'm guessing most folks have more pressing matters at hand.... like finishing up all that Xmas shopping!

Of course most will know just by the facade......

Yes, it's Mitsuwa Marketplace of course! But where?

I realized when I walked through this Mitsuwa how important design is..... this one is set-up basically the same. It is much larger than the Mitsuwa in San Diego. And so is the the food court, with a variety of restaurants...

And of course there's a Santouka Ramen.......

But also a Chinese Fast Food shop and at least one Korean influenced food stop to go with some other interesting offerings.

First off; the name makes me think that the burgers here are pork. Having already had an R Burger, whose ahem, buns are fortified with collagen (you know, I should just have someone provide me with the best collagen bun line.... there must be thousands), a teriyaki wasabi burger doesn't sound that strange. The fries here do sound interesting as you can choose various options like curry and cheese flavored or corn soup flavored fries...... I almost gave in.... well, maybe next time.

There are several more restaurants in this rather large food court.

I noticed that the market itself had quite a few Korean products.... more on that later. There were also local products...... and you just know that there are folks out there who can't go a day without Phil's Fertile Eggs, right?

Can you imagine the untapped marketing potential for Phil's Fertile Eggs!!!

There are of course more conventional Japanese items.

Ok....enough with the guessing game thing..... this Mitsuwa is located in Arlington Heights, about 25 miles outside of downtown Chicago. When my Admin Assistant was nice enough to book my overnight accommodations, she told me that I'd be staying in Arlington Heights..... I had no idea where Arlington Heights was....and neither did she. So I obviously saw the irony in the fact that there was a Mitsuwa almost right across the street from my hotel. Of all the places in the greater Chicago area....

It did look like business was pretty slow. After waking from my post Hot Doug's nap, it was already 6pm on a Friday, but the place was pretty dead. And there were several of these in the Marketplace.

I do hope they make it. I'm thinking I'll stay in this area if I'm in these parts again. As I drove down East Algonquin Road into Mount Prospect, i couldn't help but noticing all the Korean Restaurants..... there was even a restaurant named Dae Jung Keum......sound familiar???

Monday, 20 December 2010

It was pretty chilly on the day I drove from Madison to Chicago. Walking to the car I encountered something that I don't see very often here in San Diego...... that would be frost.

I'm also not quite used to temperatures in the 30's either.

Instead of the usual rest stops like we have in SoCal, there are stops above the highway that looks like an overpass. These are called Oasis and contain various fast food shops, restrooms, ATMs, and Gas Stations.

My curiosity finally got the better of me, and I stopped at the Belvedere Oasis. The place was very clean, and also had a nice view of the I-90.

As another tidbit; did you know the Federal Regulations forbid commercial development of rest areas? Other than a few rest stops that were "grandfathered in", only toll road can offer these type of services. (23 CFR Part 752.5)

I had decided to spend an extra day in Chicago for one main reason...... to eat of course! And there was one place that was a "must try" on my list...... Hot Dougs. Admittedly, I really wandered if Hot Doug's would deliver. My luck really hasn't been that good with places generating so much attention and hyperbole...... the Kogi Taco Truck comes to mind. But after seeing the place for the umpteenth time on No Reservations, and reading numerous reviews and posts (like Passionate Eater's) on the place, even from a couple of San Diego based Food Bloggers like Canine Cologne (read her post here) and Liz of Fooding 411 (her post here), it was without a doubt on my list. Which is why I started driving from Madison at 745 am on a Friday morning. My intention was to arrive at Hot Doug's a couple of minutes before opening........ well Doug's opens at 1030, and I finally found my way there, found parking on the street, and saw a line had already formed out the door at Hot Doug's.

Stepping into line and overhearing conversations, it seemed that at least half the crowd were not from Chicago. As for the line, a suited gentleman in front of me, who had a page from a legal pad full of "orders" told the couple in back of him that, "this is nothing....it seems to be a pretty slow day."

So, on this slow day, I made it to the second set of front doors by 1045, and actually into the shop proper at 1050.

The line was moving fairly quickly..... and the menu read like a sausage junkie's dream.

Having a couple minutes to read the menu and check out the dining area, something struck me. First off, you can't grab a table or seat until you place your order and pay. Second, Doug Sohn, manning the front counter moves at an unhurried pace. This combined with the fact that folks are eating sausages mean that the dining area turns over very quickly, and it seems that most everyone gets a seat.

Now as to what I came here to eat...... well there were just two things......

Of course I was going to have the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage ($9). When Doug asked me how I wanted these; I asked him to make it the way he eats it. Doug replied with a smile, and a simple "ok, very good....." Yes...... it was very good indeed.

So good I think it deserves another photo.....

I thought that perhaps the truffle aioli would just overpower everything; but this was wonderfully rich... decadent.....I felt like I needed a shower afterwards. The sausage with its mild sweetness was no slouch, and the Foie Gras Mousse with a light sprinkle of sea salt. was pure fatty joy.

These were nice and rich.....the duck fat doesn't really add too much flavor; mainly an additional richness to the fries. They also don't hold up for very long and seem to start getting a bit greasy fairly quickly.

I had intended to hitting XOCO for dinner, but my failure was based on the most basic item on Hot Doug's menu..... the simple Chicago Style Hot Dog ($1.75):

Yes, this was my downfall..... Overall a nice, though not amazing Chicago Dog. The dog didn't have quite the snap I like. For once I had enough celery salt on my Chicago Dog... but man, after eating this I was beyond stuffed; I was cross-eyed stuffed and really needed a nap. When I awoke, I just couldn't muster the energy to drive from Arlington Heights, back into Chicago proper.... such is the power of the encased meats at Hot Doug's.

As I left, about 1130, the line outside Hot Doug's stretched down the street.

Tuesday, 02 November 2010

Last week, I went back to Madison for some training. Like the last time, I flew into Chicago and drove to Madison. This meant that I was able to stop a bite (or two... or three) on my way out of town. This time, I wanted to make sure to try a couple of places I'd never been to before.... and of course, it was only right that I have a sample of one of Chicago's iconic food items; the hot dog.

On previous visits, I'd had dogs from Superdawg and Weiner Circle. This time around Cathy's brother recommended that I give Gene and Jude's, a place that should rightfully and proudly be called a joint, a try. Gene and Jude's is located in the community of River Grove just a couple of miles from O'Hare, which made access pretty easy.

Established in 1946, Gene and Jude's longevity says that they must be doing something right. Later on, I mentioned this place in conversation. I was told that Gene and Jude's are always among the top sellers of Vienna Beef Hot Dogs in Chicago.

I was also told to always expect a line, but not to worry as the line moves very quickly. You just get in line behind this sign.

I stood in awe as the guy two places in line in front of me ordered 10 dogs and fries.... only to be topped by the woman in front of me who ordered two dozen! The guy taking the order didn't even blink an eye.

I felt positively unworthy ordering but a single dog (with everything) and fries. You order, then move over to the next spot and pay.

I grabbed my dog and fries and headed over to the counter to eat.

Yes, the place is a bit worn, and possibly in need of a good scrub-down, but that just seems to add character......

For $2.20, you get a dog covered with a handful of fries.....

The fries are hand-cut, natural, that is, skin on, made fresh from potatoes. These were greasy, but in a good way, and even though I'm not a fan of this type of fries(i.e. In-N-Out), these had good potato flavor.

Below the fries the Dog was a mess.....

The roll was pretty much a mushy mess. "Everything" on this dog consisted of sport peppers, piccalilli, onions, and mustard. No tomato, pickle spear, and no celery salt. In fact, the very same guy who seemed to know everything about hot dogs told me that this was the way Chicago Hot Dogs were originally served. Though this was a mess, I loved the snap of this dog.... it was the snappiest of the four I had on this trip.

In spite of the rapidly disintegrating roll, I thought this was a decent dog. And can you beat the price? The "Hot Dog Nazi" - dive atmosphere added to the (lack of) ambiance. Nothing fancy here, just a couple of things on the menu..... and don't even think about asking for ketchup on your dog!

While eating my dog and fries, I noticed this copy of an article on the wall.....

The article tells of Charlie Trotter's recommendations for best dogs in Chicago..... and Gene and Jude's is one of the three mentioned. The mental image of Charlie Trotter eating greasy fries on a messy dog elbows on the worn and in need of a good scrubbing counters cracked me up.

Gene & Jude's Red Hot Stand2720 River RdRiver Grove, IL 60171

A few weeks before leaving on this trip, I sat next to a guy from Chicago at Sushi Yaro. When he mentioned where he was from, I told him I'd be flying to Chicagoland before driving to Madison, and staying one night upon my return. We got to talking about Chicago Hot Dogs, and the beauty of the neighborhood Hot Dog stand. His stand was a place called Peep's in Arlington Heights.... in his words, "not the best, but good, and a very typical neighborhood stand. There used to be one in every neighborhood." Since I was able to take my time driving to Madison, I decided to stop at Peep's. It was a bit of a detour from the freeway........ but very easy to find on the corner of Rand and East Thomas Street.

Basically not much more than a shack with a counter and a small dining area.

Here's the Dog with everything from Peep's......

Your standard issue Chicago Dog, nice sprinkling of celery salt, sport peppers, tomatoes that were kind of mushy, and the pickle didn't seemed, well pickled enough. The bun was a bit drier then I appreciate. Strangely, all the dogs I ate were of the same heritage; dogs from Vienna Beef, but they were all different. This one had less snap, though the flavor was right on.